The Vicissitudes of Life (2)
"Stop!" Van shouted.
The head of the gang that had just stormed in finally saw the stranger standing in their midst. His small, mean eyes flashed. He exchanged a glance with his fellow gang members and saw that they also did not recognize the stranger. Looking at his strange robes and their dirty state, the head of the gang did not bother being polite.
"Who the fuck are you!?" He sneered.
Van smiled and calmly said, "I just found it unsightly that five big men like you were harassing an elderly man and two small children. Tsk tsk, how shameful."
The man at the lead flushed red. He turned around and barked, "What did you stop for? Keep smashing!"
The four other men resumed their vigorous beating of the shelves. The tablets fell off the shelves and smashed into shards. The ink bottles clattered onto the ground.
Van couldn't keep the smile on his face any more.
The head of the gang smiled in response, "Not so brave anymore, huh, kid?"